Internal combustion engines combust a fuel and air mixture within cylinders driving pistons to produce drive torque. The engine drives a transmission through a coupling device. Air is drawn into the engine and is metered through a throttle. The transmission can include an automatic transmission whereby transmission shifts are regulated using a control module based on vehicle operating conditions. Alternatively, the transmission can include a manual transmission whereby shifts are manually executed by vehicle operator.
Cruise control systems are utilized on vehicles to enable the vehicle to maintain a desired vehicle speed. In vehicles equipped with electronic throttle control, the cruise control system provides basic proportional and integral (PI) control that is based on a vehicle speed error. The PI control, however, does not account for external modifiers on vehicle acceleration and presumes that the only vehicle acceleration input is throttle position. Therefore, calibration of cruise control for maintaining the desired vehicle speed while providing an acceptable degree of smoothness and perceived quality is difficult.